x, 436 pages ; 24 cm

In a smart, entertaining, reassuring book that reads like fiction, Alexandra Robbins manages to cross Gossip Girl with Freaks and Geeks and explain the fascinating psychology and science behind popularity and "outcasthood." She reveals that the things that set students apart in high school are the things that help them stand out later in life. Robbins follows seven real people grappling with the uncertainties of high school social life, including: The Loner, who has withdrawn from classmates since they persuaded her to unwittingly join her own hate club; The Popular Bitch, a cheerleading captain both seduced by and trapped within her clique's perceived prestige; The Nerd, whose differences cause students to laugh at him and his mother to needle him for not being "normal"; The New Girl, determined to stay positive as classmates harass her for her mannerisms and target her because of her race; The Gamer, an underachiever in danger of not graduating, despite his intellect and his yearning to connect with other students; The Weird Girl, who battles discrimination and gossipy politics in school but leads a joyous life outside of it; The Band Geek, who is alternately branded too serious and too emo, yet annually runs for class president. In the middle of the year, Robbins surprises her subjects with a secret challenge -- experiments that force them to change how classmates see them. Robbins intertwines these narratives -- often triumphant, occasionally heartbreaking, and always captivating -- with essays exploring subjects like: the secrets of popularity; being excluded doesn't mean there's anything wrong with you; why outsiders succeed; how schools make the social scene worse -- and how to fix it. The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth is essential reading not just for students, teachers, parents, and anyone who deals with teenagers, but for all of us, because at some point in our lives we've all been on the outside looking in. - Jacket flap

In her book, Alexandra Robbins explores the ways group identity theories play out among cliques - and the students they exclude. She reveals the new labels students stick onto each other today, the long-term effects of this marginalization, and the reasons students falling under these categories are often shunned

Prologue -- 1. Meet the cafeteria fringe -- Late summer to early fall : the popularity myth. 2. Quirk theory and the secret of popularity -- 3. Why are popular people mean? -- Fall : why quirk theory works. 4. In the shadow of the freak tree -- 5. It's good to be the cafeteria fringe -- Winter : outcast profiling and other dangers. 6. Challenges -- 7. Misperceptions -- Late winter to early spring : being excluded doesn't mean that anything's wrong with you. 8. A brief introduction to group psychology -- 9. Why labels stick : the motivations of the normal police -- Spring : quirk theory's origins : why these issues are hardest in school. 10. Changing perceptions -- 11. Two steps forward, one step back -- Late spring to early summer : popular vs. outcast. 12. Popularity doesn't lead to happiness -- 13. The rise of the cafeteria fringe -- 14. Cafeteria fringe : lucky and free

Includes bibliographical references (pages 399-433)

Requires Adobe Digital Editions (file size: 4599 KB)

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